Entry No. 35 — the Philadelphia file — filed under: outdoor

Government of the People

A 30-foot bronze inverted pyramid of writhing, intertwined human figures by Jacques Lipchitz - a family at the base spiraling up through a young couple to two figures hoisting Philadelphia's banner. Philadelphia's mayor once compared the artist's approved plaster model to "a load of dumped plaster" and stalled funding; Lipchitz died in 1973 without ever seeing it cast.

The move: Walk past it on the way to a City Hall-area dinner and try to trace where the base family becomes the young couple becomes the triumphant top figures, then argue over whether it reads as democracy or nightmare.

• 📍 Center City (Municipal Services Building Plaza)
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Municipal Services Building Plaza, Broad St & John F. Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19102

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Wikipedia · associationforpublicart.org

last checked: 2026-07-19